8

th
Grade Physical Science Kathryn Corey 2014/2015

Course Description
The middle school physical science course is designed to give students the
necessary skills for a smooth transition from elementary physical science
standards to high school physical science standards. The purpose is to give all
students an overview of common strands in physical science (the nature of matter,
laws of energy, matter, motion and forces, and energy transformation). Theories
will be presented from a biblical worldview and compared with the evolutionists
perspective.
Course Objectives
By the end of the year, students will be able to do the following:
1. Examine the scientific view of the nature of matter
2. Be familiar with the forms and transformations of energy
3. Investigate the relationship between force, mass, and motion of objects
4. Explore the wave nature of sound and electromagnetic radiation
5. Recognize characteristics of gravity, electricity, and magnetism as major
kinds of forces acting in nature

Teacher Information
Class Verse:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. -
Psalm 19:1-2
Contact Information
E-mail: kcorey@cornerstonecougars.org or kascorey@gmail.com
Home Phone: 678-417-6593 cell: 404-695-7997
The best way to contact me is through Cornerstone e-mail.


Weebly Address (teacher webpage)
http://mrscoreyssciencecorner.weebly.com/

Category Weights
Major Category 60%
Tests
Papers
Projects (Science Fair)

Minor Category: 25%
Homework
Classwork
Labs

Semester Exams: 15%

Grading Scale
Middle School students earn numerical and letter grades.
Numerical Letter
Grades Grade
90-100 A
80-89 B
74-79 C
70-73 D
Below 70 F
Incomplete I

Honor Pledge
At Cornerstone students are expected to honor their word. Every student writes
an Honor Pledge on each assessment to authenticate his/her work: I pledge that I
did not give or receive any unauthorized help on any part of this assessment.




Homework
Homework is an integral part of the instructional program. Assignments are
designed to reinforce concepts, prepare for future activities and expand
instruction. Homework provides opportunities for independent work and discipline,
and helps students develop good study skills.
It should be expected that the core courses can require the following amount of
homework per night:
Fifth Grade: 15 minutes per core course
Sixth Grade: 15 minutes per core course
Seventh Grade: 20 minutes per core course
Eighth Grade: 20-25 minutes per core course
Studying for tests and working on long-term projects will require additional time.
Cornerstone Christian Academy is purposefully committed to supporting quality
family time and ministry opportunities. Therefore, Middle School students will be
assigned less homework on Wednesdays. Nightly study is still expected.
If a student receives a grade below a 75 on any homework assignment, they have
until the day before the test on that chapter to re-do the assignment for a
possible 75.


Late Assignments
Assignments are to be turned in on time. The grade for any late assignment will
drop a minimum of ten points for each day that the assignment is late for up to
three days. After the third day, the assignment will have a failing grade, but it
must still be completed for mastery sake.

Make-Up Work
All work missed because of an absence must be made up to the satisfaction of the
teacher. Students are allowed the same number of days as they were absent to
complete the work due to an excused absence.
Students who miss school for an unexcused reason are to take any make-up tests
on the first day upon returning to school. Tests will not be administered in advance.
There will be an academic penalty against Middle School students who miss school
for an unexcused reason. Middle School students will receive a maximum of 80% of
the earned grade for missed work due to an unexcused absence.
Eighth grade students are granted excused absences to visit other schools for
interviewing, shadowing or testing for the following school year. These absences
must be scheduled and communicated to the Middle School teachers in advance.

Exams
Scheduled semester examinations are administered in the Middle School. Students
are not allowed to take semester exams early. Students who miss taking an exam
can expect to take the missed exam on the first day of return to school. It is the
responsibility of the student to notify the teacher of the need to make up an
exam.

RenWeb Grade Book
Grades will be posted at maximum one week from the assignment turn in date for
most assessments and posted at maximum two weeks for papers and major
projects.

ParentsWeb
Parents are responsible for knowing and understanding the information published
on ParentsWeb. ParentsWeb contains information such as school calendar, lunch
calendar, class schedule for each child, grades for Middle School students,
financial information for each family, and a school directory as well as all
Cornerstone forms and handouts.
The first time you log into ParentsWeb, you must register as a First Time User
and log in with the e-mail you provided to Cornerstone. ParentsWeb will then assign
you your first password and send it to that same e-mail address. You may continue
to use that password or change it to one more familiar to you.

Class Resources
Textbook: Introduction to Physical Science, Glencoe, 2008
List of daily class supplies (agenda, science binder, science book, pencil,
highlighter, paper)

Units
Semester 1:
Unit 1 Matter
Unit 2 Motion and Forces
Semester 2:
Unit 4 Energy
Unit 5 Waves, Sound, Light

Science Fair Project
All middle school students will be expected to complete a science fair project. A
brief review of each step in the process will supplement the Science Fair Student
Guide. The experiment itself and written work will be performed at home.
Benchmark dates will be provided but the expectation is that the students will
seek help as needed. One test grade will be taken based on Science Fair
performance.

Quiz/Test Schedule
Tests will be scheduled after each chapter.
Quizzes are typically administered every two weeks but are ultimately at the
discretion of the teacher and may be unannounced.